RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Restriction of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-1 to the Peptidergic Subset of Primary Afferent Neurons Follows Its Developmental Downregulation in Nonpeptidergic Neurons
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 10119
OP 10127
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1299-11.2011
VO 31
IS 28
A1 Daniel J. Cavanaugh
A1 Alexander T. Chesler
A1 Joao M. Bráz
A1 Nirao M. Shah
A1 David Julius
A1 Allan I. Basbaum
YR 2011
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/28/10119.abstract
AB Primary afferent “pain” fibers (nociceptors) are divided into subclasses based on distinct molecular and anatomical features, and these classes mediate noxious modality-specific contributions to behaviors evoked by painful stimuli. Whether the heat and capsaicin receptor transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) is expressed heterogeneously across several sensory populations, or is selectively expressed by a unique nociceptor subclass, however, is unclear. Here we used two lines of Trpv1 reporter mice to investigate the primary afferent expression of TRPV1, both during development and in the adult. We demonstrate, using Cre-induced lineage tracing, that during development TRPV1 is transiently expressed in a wide range of dorsal root ganglion neurons, and that its expression is gradually refined, such that TRPV1 transcripts become restricted to a specific subset of peptidergic sensory neurons. Finally, the remarkable sensitivity that is characteristic of these reporter mice revealed an innervation of central and peripheral targets by TRPV1+ primary afferents in the adult that is considerably more extensive than has previously been appreciated.